Failing an 18-0 finishing run, Smart's best bet is to find a time machine. Go back to the start of the season and get busy downplaying his team's ability, instead of pumping 'em up. Lower those expectations, a la Don Nelson.

Then find a way to ease Andris Biedrins out of the picture much earlier.

That might help. Although in all likelihood, right from the start Smart was a dead coach coaching.

Even for those of us with amateur psychiatry degrees, it's hard to get inside Lacob's head. It's not crazy to speculate that Lacob's plan all along has been to let Smart coach the season, then hitch up his pants and start retooling the machine, putting his stamp on it.

If Smart could have saved his job, it would have been on the last road trip, but 2-5 didn't cut it.

It's a tough spot for Lacob, for two reasons:

One, Smart has impressed a lot of people, including the actual Warriors. He is the first Warriors coach in years and years (with the exception of Nelson in the We Believe season) who has the team in his corner. Even the reports of a Smart-Stephen Curry rift are probably exaggerated. More like a mutual professional frustration involving two team-first guys.

Two, a coaching hire will be Lacob's first big test. If he brings in a coach who fails to inspire the Warriors to play at or beyond their capability, Lacob will look like a fiddler/meddler, making moves for the hell of it.

If Lacob says Smart has failed to inspire the Warriors, the question would be, "How does he know?" Maybe they are inspired, but aren't very good.

Also, since Popovich and Jackson won't be available to hire next season, how can a less-miraculous coach be expected to turn the Warriors around?

If there is a miracle-worker coach lurking, what Warrior could he get more out of? Monta Ellis? He's playing more minutes per game (41) than any player in this particular league. Fortunately he's a really sturdy guy who doesn't take much of a beating. (That was a jest.)

Incidentally, Ellis' free throws are trending down (two Sunday). Could be an indication he's going to the hoop less, trying to save his body.

But Lacob didn't buy the team just to score a good courtside seat. If he did, he overpaid. His business record shows that he's not a hang-back guy. He bought the team because he believes he can make it better, because he's smarter and cagier than the average Joe. He can't show that by standing pat.

A bigger problem is where to hide Biedrins. He's back in the starting lineup. On Sunday, he played seven minutes in the first half, took and missed one shot, then took a seat with the Wolves leading by three. For the rest of the half, with a rag-tag tag team of subs playing for Biedrins, the Warriors outscored the Wolves by eight.

Final Biedrins line: 12 minutes, six rebounds, no points on 0-for-2 shooting. No free throws.

Biedrins has now gone 10 consecutive games, more than three hours of intense, slam-bang NBA action, without attempting a free throw. That's got to be close to some kind of NBA record. Dimpleheads, start your data-bank searches.

Smart might have sealed his doom by staying with Biedrins as long as he has. On the recent road trip, Smart started dialing way back on Biedrins' minutes, exposing the limitations of the backups, but it might have been too late.

Lacob probably doesn't want to grow old watching Biedrins making no more impact than a meteor made of cotton, but Biedrins has three more seasons after this on his contract, at $9 million per, which makes even Barry Zito wince.

Two home games ago there were no peanuts and pretzels at halftime in the media lounge. According to one report, the Warriors trimmed the hours of the employee who handles the snacks. (The snacks were back Sunday, albeit late.)

It will take a while to save $27 million that way. But Lacob said he was in this for the long haul.